Shoe



March 21, i939. E R H D 2,151,235

' SHOE Filed April 29, 1957.

l N VENT OR.

Patented Mar. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHOE Application April 29, 1937, Serial No. 139,659

1 Claim.

This invention relates to .improvements in shoes and method of manufacturing the same.

The usual type of shoe is deficient in that it fails to give the foot the opportunity to function as nature intended. It is normal for the outer portion of the longitudinal arch to aid in supporting the load, whereas the inner portion of the longitudinal arch, at which point the scaphoid bone is located, is not intended to carry out a weight bearing function. However, with most shoes there is a tendency for the foot to work inwardly placing undue strain upon the scaphoid bone, particularly when the muscles adjacent the scaphoid have been weakened through the wearing of improperly designed shoes or for other reasons. In addition, most shoes provide improper support for the calcaneum or heel bone, tending to urge the latter into an unnatural position and allowing the same to rotate or sway and thus produce foot fatigue.

It has heretofore been proposed to correct the above-mentioned objectionable features of the ordinary construction by the use of a wedge or like support on the inner side of the shoe, the purpose being to force the weight toward the outer portion of the longitudinal arch and relieve the strain upon the scaphoid, thus permitting the foot to function in a normal manner.

The present invention relates to a construction wherein the supporting piece or cookie is an integral part of the inner sole and projects from one side of the blank for said inner sole. While this arrangement alone is not novel, the present invention nevertheless contemplates a novel method of assembly and a novel cooperation of parts for rendering this type of construction highly efilcient and strong.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved shoe construction as above described wherein the insole is reinforced and strengthened in the region of the cookie by the use of a reinforcing section of leather secured to the bottom of the insole at the rear thereof, said reinforcing section being of approximately the shape ofthe rear portion of the insole and carrying the inseam ridge for the rear portion of the insole, whereby the insole proper is not weakened by channeling in the region of the cookie.

A further object of the invention is to provide a shoe as above described wherein a wedging piece may be inserted between the insole proper and the reinforcing section to elevate the insole on the inner side of the heel portion and thereby aid in throwing the weight of the foot outwardly.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved method of manufacturing shoes including the steps of forming an insole with an integral arch supporting extension, forming an inseam ridge on the bottom of the for ward portion only of said insole, forming the remainder of the inseam ridge on a separate reinforcing piece of leather having the shape of the rear portion of the insole, and securing said separate piece to the bottom of the rear portion of said insole.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a method as above described which may include the assembly of .a wedging piece between the two layers forming the rear of the insole.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improved shoe and method of manufacturing the same, and all its parts and combinations as set forth in the claim and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a bottom view of the reinforcing section for the rear of the insole;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the wedging piece; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 2; I

Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the insole proper;

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the wedging piece of Fig. 2 secured to the bottom of the rear of the insole;

Fig. 6 is a bottom view of the shoe with the upper removed, part of the outsole being broken away; and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view through the completed shoe taken in front of the heel and looking rearwardly.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the insole proper is designated generally by the numeral l0 and is formed from a blank having an arch supporting or cookie extension H on the inner side thereof. The bottom of the insole is channeled to form an inseam ridge I2 in the usual manner. Said inseam ridge, however, terminates just behind the ball of the foot as at l3, and the leather is preferably skived to form a slight shoulder I4.

The inseam ridge I5 for the rear portion of the shoe is formed on a separate section of leather [6 having in general the shape of the rear half of an insole.

It is preferred also to utilize means for elevating the portion of the insole at the heel to further aid the cookie in throwing the weight of the foot outwardly. Accordingly a wedging piece I! (Fig. 2) having approximately the cross sec-- tion shown in Fig. 3 may be secured by adhesive or otherwise to the bottom of the insole as shown in Fig. 5. Next the reinforcing section I6 is placed over the wedging piece I! and suitably cemented in position with the forward' edge l8 of the reinforcing piece abutting the shoulder M on the insole.

The completed insole construction may then be shaped to the last and the arch supporting extension or cookie bent angularly upwardly as shown in Fig. '7. Next the welt l9 and upper 20 are stitched to each other and to the inseam ridge portions 12 and IS in the usual manner as shown in Fig. 7. Following this a light weight shank stiffener 2| preferably of metal which has been secured to a fibrous filler member 22, may be placed in position in the manner shown in Fig.

6. The outsole 23 is then assembled in position.

Prior to the assembly of the heel, pegs 24 of wood or fiber may be driven through all the layers of material as shown in Fig. 7, and the upper ends of the pegs may be made flush with the upper surface of the insole. These pegs may extend entirely around the rear half of the shoe as shown in Fig. 6. The use of pegging is advantageous as the pegs, which cannot themselves bend, form an arch support and make it unnecessary to employ anything but the ordinary light weight shank stifiener 2 l. Furthermore the pegs tend to add rigidity to the cookie construction and also serve to firmly anchor all of the layers to one another. The principal feature of this invention, however, is obviously applicable to other than pegged constructions.

The present construction is advantageous in that the inseam ridge portions [5 for the rear half of the shoe are carried entirely by the reinforcing piece of leather it. If the inseam ridge portions l5 were carried by the insole proper as is customary, there would be substantial weakening of the cookie at the line of bend. The separate reinforcing section 16 is also advantageous as it strengthens the entire rear half of the shoe and particularly in the region of the cookie. In addition this method of construction makes it a simple matter to interpose a wedging piece such as the member I! between the two sections forming the rear half of the insole.

By referring to Fig. 6 it will be seen that the upwardly bent portion ll forming the cookie tends to fill in the space beneath the inner portion of the longitudinal arch of the foot, and said extension, in combination with the wedging piece I! which is of maximum thickness on the inner side as at 25, throws the weight of the foot toward the outer portion of the shoe. As a result the entire foot is straightened out, the heel bones are locked against rotating or swaying, and the longitudinal arch is maintained in a normal position.

Although only one form of the invention has been shown and described, it is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made the rear portion of the shoe being formed on said reinforcing section, a Wedging piece of leather or the like interposed between the insole and the reinforcing section at the heel portion of the shoe. and extending forwardly alongside of said extension to supplement the extension in throwing the weight of the foot outwardly, and a plurality of rows ofrigid pegs on each side at the shank of the shoe extending through said outsole, reinforcing sect-ion, wedging piece, and insole for locking said sections together and for preventing lateral shifting of the wedging piece, said pegs being positioned to lend rigidity to the arch of the shoe, whereby the necessity of employing a heavy shank stiffener is eliminated.

EDWARD P. SCHNIIDT. 

